Damnation
by amyisbad
Summary: Ariadne Shepard is damaged beyond repair. Or at least, that's what she tells herself. Contains femshep/liara/aria
1. Chapter 1

The reason I wrote this is because I just got tired of reading about the same person over and over again. That's what's so wonderful about this character; everyone can have their own interpretation of the events that shaped her life! Why waste the opportunity to create something unique and beautifully individual, by rehashing old and used material?! I am not trying to offend anyone, quite the opposite actually; I am offering some constructive criticism. Please feel free to do the same to me! Other than that, sit back and (hopefully) enjoy.

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution.

Contains FemShep/Liara

This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be.

Whore, murderer, savior, hero, killer? No, not a single one could possibly describe her. Ariadne Shepard was one of a kind. Perhaps the only thing anyone who knew her would ever agree upon was that she was certifiably different from other people. She had a brutish, yet strangely elegant way about her and carried herself with an air of arrogant pride. Shepard was an enigma, a paradox, not to be trifled with and those who did had a habit of dying painful deaths. Even her name didn't fit; her namesake was a Greek princess, whose only accomplishment was helping Theseus find his way out of King Midas' labyrinth. Ariadne had survived the attack on Mindoir, earned the moniker "Butcher of Torfan" and become the first human Specter all before she turned 25. A lifetime of hardship and insanity, a life that no one should be subjected to, especially not someone who wasn't born with a bad bone in her body.

_Designation: Ariadne Shepard._

_Sex: Female. _

_DOB: Unknown._

_Name of father: Unknown._

_Name of mother: Unknown._

_Registration No.: 13616_

_This child will be kept under hospital supervision, until accommodation can be found. _

_Shepard woke up to the sound of thunder. Beads of sweat dripped down across her forehead and her breathing came in ragged gasps. Her sheets felt damp beneath her, due to a most unpleasant nightmare. She had dreamt of an all-consuming fire, burning down a forest, until the only thing left standing was a single rose. The same rose had sung a melodic and melancholy tune, filling the remnants of its surroundings with hope. When it finished it had withered and died, leaving behind only silence and ash. _

_The sound of rain kept her from falling back to sleep, when she suddenly heard shouting from below. Her adoptive father had gone into another one of his drunken rages and had started harassing his wife with slurred insults. Ariadne often worried about what would happen, if he directed his anger at her, which had never happened before. She always took care to lock the door, when she heard the man take off to get wasted. Unfortunately her fears were about to become reality, as she could distinctly make out her "father's" labored breathing as he ascended the staircase. The creaking of the wood increased in volume, causing her to fly into a panic, when she realized, that she had indeed forgotten to secure her room that dreaded night. Just as Shepard rushed to the lock, the wooden door flew open, revealing a very drunk and angry man, who in that moment closely resembled a monster from one of her dreams. It was no dream however and it was certainly not a hallucination, when he started mumbling: "Quite a pretty flower aren't you? So young…"_

"_Please sir, it's late." Fear gripped the girl and a chill ran up her spine. _

"_If so, why are you up out of bed at such an hour?"_

"_I couldn't go to sleep," Shepard had started to tremble in fear, her legs shaking. _

"_Ari, it's okay, I can see that you just wanted to see me." He started getting closer._

"_Why don't we sit down on your bed?" She could smell the alcohol._

_Despite the best of her efforts, she was too young to defend herself and the sound of him undoing his buckle would stay with her forever. _

Shepard woke with a start. To this day she could not forget what had happened to her. With little effort she swung her athletic frame off of the bed and proceeded to shed her clothes. A nice cold shower always seemed to help rid her of those memories. As she sat under the icy spray of the water in her accommodating stall, she considered her attraction to the fairer sex. The topic always seemed to come up when she thought about her only encounter with a man. Ariadne always knew that she liked women more even before her rape and didn't consider it to be the turning point whatsoever. It would be an insult to her and the girls she'd been with to call it that.

As she toweled off, Joker's voice sounded across the intercom.

"Are we ready for departure ma'am?"

"Give the signal." Came her icy reply.

When she had first gained control of the Normandy she had made it her first order of business to put the crippled pilot in line. She never liked his idea of comedy and had made that perfectly clear, when she chewed him out. First and foremost she was his commander and the only way to make that clear, was to keep their relationship professional at all times. So what if she was called a bitch behind her back, she'd been called worse in her years on the street and at the academy.

Today was a big day for the crew, as it would be their first off-world mission, they needed to find Matriarch Benezia's daughter on Therum and gather any information on Saren from her. From what her research had shown her, the girl, Liara, was quite pretty. Ariadne looked forward to meeting her.

Tali turned from Garrus as they were loading their weapons and threw a glance at her new commander. Even in the flotilla they had heard of the Butcher. However she looked nothing like she did in the vids, instead of the all powerful warrior, Shepard looked unwell, thin and pale.

"Do you think there's something wrong with her," Tali asked as she put the last of her shells into her shotgun.

"What do you mean," Garrus responded and clicked his mandibles in irritation at the young engineer.

"She looks sick and tired, as though she hasn't slept in days!"

"By human standards, she's considered to be quite the beauty…"

Wrex was standing behind the two of them and was listening in on their conversation, until he decided to throw in his two cents.

"Good luck with that, the quarian has better chances than you do, Garrus," The krogan chuckled.

"What do you mean?!" A bewildered Tail inquired.

Shepard had had enough of her squadmates gossip and decided to let them know, that they were not nearly as subtle as they thought.

"He means that I like fucking girls."

"Keelah Shepard, I didn't see you!" Tali blushed.

"We have work to do, sober up people."

As the aircraft docked the four of them departed in complete and utter silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes

Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution.

Contains FemShep/Liara

This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be.

Liara T'Soni had never been more frightened in her entire life, the only thing between her and certain death was the energy field she had activated. Questions raced through her head. Why were there geth demanding that she come with them? Who was this Saren character? How was her mother involved?

Even now, she knew her time was running out, there was no alternate escape route and the asari knew she couldn't stay in that awful room forever.

With a sigh of despair the girl sunk to the floor and hung her head between her blue hands.

Just when all hope seemed lost for the young scientist there was a commotion followed by an ear-deafening explosion. After a period of silence, she could distinctly make out loud shouting followed by gunfire and screaming. She wasn't naïve enough to assume that someone had come to her rescue, but whoever it was out there, they might release her.

Before she knew it, Liara was confronted by one of the most bizarre and eclectic group of aliens, she had ever laid her eyes upon. A quarian and a turian flanked the most striking figure, a human female, donned in pitch black armor, who also appeared to be in charge of the group as she barked out orders.

Striking was indeed the best description for the woman, as her dark hair billowed around her narrow face. From her vantage point the first things she could distinguish were the incredible piercing blue eyes coupled with black lipstick. As she stepped into the light Liara could only barely make out the in her opinion perfect features, which matched her brutal and graceful fighting style. The moment the last of the geth had hit the ground, the imposing woman approached her cell.

"Liara T'Soni," It was not a question.

The only response the poor girl could come up with was a meager: "Yes."

"My name is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy, I am here as a representative of the galactic council."

"What business does the council have with me?" The asari managed to choke out.

"Perhaps we can get you out of this cage before I elaborate."

"I am afraid that the control panel has been damaged. There is no feasible way out."

"Maybe I could use the device I noticed on my way in."

"Oh… Yes that might work." Liara shyly admitted.

The woman, Shepard, didn't even bat an eye, but instead immediately set about activating the mining laser they had been using to drill in the ruins with. As soon as it had burned through the obstruction Liara was finally freed.

Shepard cautiously approached the young scientist as the dust settled and for the first time Liara could clearly see the human's gaunt face, which was far too pale.

"Listen, why don't we return to my ship, you don't look too well and we have an excellent doctor onboard, who can take a look at you." Shepard was aware of the irony in that statement as she felt like she was going to pass out at any moment.

Liara felt a surge of anger, she could take care of herself without the help of some beautiful human. "First you must tell me why you are her!"

"I'm a Specter, I'm here to help. We are chasing-"

A rumbling in the earth saved the commander from a potentially long and demanding conversation. The mining drill had caused the ceiling to start collapsing.

"We are leaving, now."

Ariadne roughly grabbed the asari by the arm and forced her up the stairs and towards the exit. The tremors from the ground increased in their ferocity and the group was forced into a sprint.

Just as they neared the exit, they were confronted by a krogan battle master and an entourage of geth soldiers. He started to ramble about Saren needing the girl, until Shepard pulled her pistol and dispatched him and his guards with deadly accuracy. Acting as though nothing had occurred Ariadne took hold of the asari's arm and pulled Liara alongside her towards safety.

The Normandy arrived in the nick of time as the ruins started to crumble around them.

The moment the doors had closed behind her on her ship, Ariadne was assaulted by questions from her crew and from Liara. What was the next destination? What had happened? Why was she there?

Ignoring the onslaught Shepard pushed her way past the crowd that had gathered and raced towards her quarters. Behind her everyone's eyes followed her movements. She could already feel the bile in her throat as she fumbled with the lock on the door. With shaky steps she half crawled to the desk that stood next to her bed. She had tried to stop, foolishly going cold turkey a few days before the mission. Ariadne had reasoned that she needed to be clear headed and focused for the sake of her crew. She had tried so hard. But as the mighty Shepard slumped into her chair and reached for the nearest drawer, she knew she had failed. Shepard had failed herself and her crew

In one of the drawers she kept a secret stash of red sand. It wasn't heroine, but it would do.

_That night would be last time Ariadne wouldn't be able to defend herself. _

_The next day she had gathered her most valuable possessions in a bag and took one last look around the confines of her room. Soon this place would be swarming with police. Still sore from her 'encounter' with her adoptive father she awkwardly entered the kitchen, where she knew he kept a loaded revolver. Today marked the first day of the rest of her life._

_Gently, so as not to wake him, she pushed open the door. He lay there in a puddle of his own throw up and Shepard decided it was the most disgusting thing she had ever laid eyes upon. She had double checked the house to make sure it was empty before she had retrieved the firearm. As slowly as humanly possible the young girl set herself across his chest and pointed the weapon at the temple of the man underneath her._

"_Wakey, wakey." She whispered. _

_It took him a while before he understood the situation. _

"_Honey, if you were going to kill me, you'd have done it. Now get the fuck off of me." He was moving his arm towards her. _

'_No, no, no. All wrong." _

_Tears were threatening to fall. She hadn't imagined it to be so difficult. All she needed to do was squeeze. _

"_I said get off me you little slu-" _

_A gunshot rang out through the house. The young girl couldn't believe that she had actually just killed a man. The blood and bits of brain that were now dripping across her face, were testimonies to her strength of will. Adrenaline shot through her and she sprung into action. Ariadne hadn't considered the sheer amount of gore that needed to be cleaned off. _

_As she stood in the shower, she didn't cry. _

As Shepard lay there in a drug induced haze she absentmindedly wondered if she looked anything like her 'father' when she had shot him.


	3. Chapter 3

Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes

Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution.

Contains FemShep/Liara

This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be.

_It had taken only a week to get use to the hunger. Being on the run from the law in what had to be the most dangerous city in the galaxy had its advantages. She could keep moving and stay anonymous without much trouble, due to the size of the urban area. Ariadne knew that her time was running out though. Eventually she'd either get caught or run into a gang and be sold into slavery. Considering the position she was in, things could be much worse. _

_Shepard knew that she needed money for a new identity, if she ever hoped to leave the hell she was in. Her first priority though was getting something to eat, fatigue had started to set in and she had to be on the top of her game. _

_As she crawled out from the dumpster that served as her current home, she started to make a plan in her head. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted, when the shrill sounding alarms that indicated police presence hit her ears. Sneaking around the corner she just caught sight of a skycar crashing midair, sending bits of metal in all directions, before it hit the ground and burst into fire. Sensing that the driver might need help Ariadne rushed to the crash site. A piece of metal had impaled the turian pilot, which had splattered his blood all across the cracked windshield. As she leaned over to check his pulse, she could make out a backpack lying next to the alien in the passenger seat. _

"_Looks like you won't be needing that anymore…" Shepard muttered to herself, grabbing the pack. _

_The wailing of the sirens was getting closer, so Ariadne returned with her new prize and hid herself from the world. _

The pounding on the door of her cabin woke her up. With a sense of dread Shepard leaned forward and surveyed her living area. So much for staying off the wagon she thought to herself, before she hit her head against the ground in frustration. With great effort she gathered her wits and ran to her private restroom to splash some water across her face. Looking into the mirror, Ariadne realized that she looked better than ever, despite having just gone on a massive drug binge. The incessant knocking forced her into action.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!"

Standing in front of the door was her favorite krogan, with a worried look on his scarred and ugly face.

"What the hell was that earlier?! You just took off, without saying a word!" The brute shouted at her.

"Look, Wrex, I didn't feel well and I needed to lay down for a bit. How long have I been out?"

"You've been in your room for five hours. Don't change the subject. These past few days something has been very wrong with you, even the asari scientist we picked up could tell something wasn't right."

The krogan could tell that the commander was hiding something. In the short time they'd known each other, Wrex had gotten quite fond of the human female. Now he needed to make sure she was capable of leading one of the galaxy's most important missions .

"Fuck, okay. I've been under a lot of pressure and I had to get some rest. Nothing sinister is going on, I promise... Did you at least fill the girl in on the details of our mission yet?"

Ariadne had to change the subject fast, Wrex was extremely perceptive and she couldn't let a single one of her crew know about her issues.

"Yes, she caught on fairly quickly. In any event, how about we get Doctor Chakwas to run some tests on you, just to make sure you're fine?"

"I'm fine. No get the fuck out of here, that's an order." If the doctor ran even the simplest of tests, her tox screens would show all. That was not an option.

_Zipping open the backpack, Shepard didn't know what to expect. It was obvious from the police tail that its owner had been a criminal of some sorts. The first thing she could distinguish was the glint of steel, the handle of an M-6 Carnifax. The revolver she'd taken off of her dead 'father' was practically useless against shielded opponents. This weapon on the other hand, was the real deal. Smiling to herself, Ariadne knew in that moment that she'd never need for anything in her life again. The next item appeared to be an omni tool, a device that she'd only ever seen from afar. It could prove quite useful, provided she could figure out how to use the damn thing. Finally there was an envelope, which she quickly shredded open. _

_Inside there was a note and a fancy key of some kind. The writing was almost ineligible, but after a few minutes the weary girl could make out its meaning. _

_Further instructions await you at the Adel Hotel, don't contact me without the requested item. _

_-Aria_

Shepard was dreading the unavoidable confrontation with the asari scientist. She knew that the girl would have a thousand questions, which she quite frankly didn't feel like answering at that moment. Still she pressed on towards the lab, ready to bite the bullet.

Liara thought that perhaps she'd been wrong, when she thought that being trapped in the ruins was the most frightening thing that could possibly happen to her. Now as she saw the commander of the ship approach her, she felt a shiver run up her spine. When she'd been forced onboard she had shouted at the woman and demanded answers, when Shepard, that was her name, had obviously been unwell. The asari felt ashamed and was afraid that she had somehow provoked that undeniably strange reaction from the woman, who was just approaching her.

"Dr.T'Soni, how do you do?" Ariadne was immediately attracted to the girl. She had such a youthful and innocent face.

"I am perfectly fine, how abou t you?' Liara was immediately attracted to the woman. She had such an angular and elegant face.


	4. Chapter 4

_Aria T'Loak was having one of the worst days of her life. Her associate had died, when his getaway car had crashed and burned, leaving her in the awkward position of dealing with the law directly. They had managed to trace the idiot to her and she had spent the last three hours interrogating her about the theft. If the turian had just done his bloody job, she wouldn't have had to go through the dreadful ordeal. In the end, things seemed to resolve themselves though, bribes were paid, favors were given and everyone was happy, everyone except Aria that is. _

_The task had been beyond simple, steal the information and bring it to Omega. Now everything had gone to shit, the item in question had disappeared and not a single one of her contacts had any leads. With a sigh the queen of Omega leaned back in her chair and took another sip from her glass. The cool liquid however did little to quell the fir e in her heart. If one of her enemy's got hold of such sensitive data, she might as well dig her own grave and pull the trigger herself._

She lay in her bed, wrapped tightly under the covers, wishing a certain someone was snuggled close next to her. It had been a full day since she had last spoken with the asari scientist, but not a moment past where Shepard didn't think about the blue girl.

Ariadne didn't believe in love, not anymore, not after everything that had happened. But she felt drawn to Liara, unable to resist the innocence of the girl. She felt this undeniable urge to corrupt her, to take her places she couldn't even imagine. The bashful youthfulness was so alluring, so endearing.

And yet Shepard knew that she couldn't go through with it, she couldn't make the girl be like her, for that would be a cruelty no living being deserved.

She let her mind wander; she allowed herself this one fantasy, of the two of them living together, far away from any and all conflict. A beach perhaps. ..

But such musings needed to stay just that, a fantasy, because even if Shepard gave in to her desires, no person could ever love a complete and total fuck up like her.

_The Adel Hotel was an establishment in one of the wealthiest parts of town; it had taken a lot of thievery to come up with the money to buy appropriate clothes. Ariadne knew that she wouldn't even make it through the doors of the building in her previously disheveled state. So she had taken it upon herself to buy a white blouse and a cheap black skirt, as camouflage to fit in with the upper class of society. The new articles of clothing felt rough and foreign against her skin and the straps of the bag, which dug in to her skin only added to her discomfort. _

_With unconfident steps she slowly approached the hotel and prayed to whatever god, that watched out for murdering orphan girls, for help. As she entered and headed towards the elevator, she realized that she could pass through the busy lobby unnoticed and she let a sigh of relief escape her lips. The number written on the side of the key she'd found in the envelope gave her the appropriate room number. With a quick look up and down the corridor, to make sure no one was there, she drew her M-6 Carnifax and cautiously opened the door of the room. It was a luxurious suite, obviously meant for dignitaries or celebrities. Or criminals she added silently. The elegance and cleanliness of the place gave her an unwelcome feeling in her stomach, it made her feel incredibly insignificant, living like a dog in the street. _

_With a more discerning glance she noticed an envelope, similar to the one she'd stolen, lying on a large circular table, which stood in the middle of the room and simultaneously doubled as a bar. _

_A wave of nervousness washed over her. What if this whole situation had been pointless, the theft of the bag, the mysterious note? Shepard shrugged it off and quickly tore it open to reveal another letter and what looked like a passenger ticket for a spaceship. _

_Once you have the information, bring it to me personally. You'll find your tickets inside. Your payment awaits you. _

_-Aria_

_PAYMENT! The word made Ariadne feel giddy inside. With a glance at her ticket she noticed the name of her next destination and a chill went up her spine: Omega._

Liara had felt awkward after her realization that she was attracted to the commander, she'd never felt that way about another person. She hadn't really given it much thought, seeing as she'd spent most of her life either studying or at some ancient ruin, doing research. Liara felt conflicting emotions rise up inside her, on the one hand she had to find out if the commander even was into girls and on the other hand she didn't know who to ask about such an intimate topic. She wasn't even sure if she was ready to voice her attraction towards her savior, she even didn't know how the crew would react or if they'd immediately tell Shepard, that the young asari girl was crushing on her. Just as she was about to try and move on and get some work done, the quarian engineer passed by where she was sitting. Before Liara could stop herself, the words had already left her mouth.

"Tali, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, what can I do for you?"

"Um… Well I was wondering what you could tell me about the commander. Do you know anything about her history or what she might like?" Immediately a blush crept across Liara's face. There was no going back now.

"What do you mean, by that?" Tali was rather confused, as to why the asari was asking about Shepard.

"Well… Godess this is so embaressing… Do you know what kind of… preferences she might have?"

If Liara could only see the blush that now colored Tali's face, as realization dawned on her.

"Ah, I see. Well, all I know is what Garrus told me, and well, you're in luck Liara. As for her history, I heard that she grew up with a bunch of criminals on Omega, but that's just some farfetched story. If you want the truth you'll have to ask her. Now I really must get going." Tali blurted out as quickly as possible, she did** not **feel like having this conversation.

"Thank's Tali. Would you mind keeping this to yourself?" The asari asked shyly.

The engineer just nodded with her head before turning and walking away with quick strides.

_Aria's day was about to take a turn for the better. Little did she know that the young girl that was creeping towards her would grow to be her greatest ally. _

_As Ariadne tiptoed towards the woman who called herself queen of Omega she thought about the events of the last couple of days. The exhilaration of space flight, her arrival on what could quite possibly be even more wretched than the place she born in and her search for Aria. Now she would find out if the journey had been worth it._

_One of Aria's guards noticed a young human female approaching and alerted his superior. Within seconds he was given the order to send her away._

"_Get out of here girl."_

"_I'm here to see Aria." Shepard said with all the authority she could muster. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Characters belong to Bioware.  
**

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_Elation. At that moment Aria felt like there was indeed some higher power watching out for her. For the past few minutes the human girl standing in front of her, had recounted how she had witnessed the death of her envoy, stolen the data from under the noses of the local law enforcement and how she had traveled all the way to Omega. This girl was no mortal in Aria's eyes, she was a guardian angel. _

_Aria had to know: 'Tell me, what is your name child?' _

_With a defiant glint in her eyes and a smirk upon her face she spoke only one word._

'_Shepard."_

'SHEPARD, we need to get out of here!' The turian's voice was barely audible over the noise of gunfire.

It took her a moment to get over the ringing in her head, after the explosion had knocked her to the hard ground. With all the energy she could muster she pushed herself to her feet and surveyed the area around them. Geth were descending down towards them from all sides, her squad was pinned in an enclave, with no feasible exit path. Aridne looked down at her rifle and made sure she had a full clip in the weapon.

It had been a full day since she'd last had a hit and the effects of withdrawal were already drastic. She felt exhausted, weak and used. Above all she hated the hard truth, that it was her fault they were caught in a deathtrap in the first place.

On a whim she had ordered her team to investigate what she had thought looked like human remains. Turns out the lack of drugs in her system were also causing her to hallucinate. 'Just wonderful', Shepard had whispered to herself, after they had found out that it was just a pile of logs. By then however the Geth were already attacking and her team had been forced to take cover behind some rubble.

The feelings of absolute tiredness reared their head again and Ariadne decided to do something incredibly rash. She wanted to be back on her ship, chatting with a certain asari scientist, not sitting behind a rock getting shot at.

Moreover Shepard needed a fix. She kept telling herself, that as long as she was using, she would have to stay away from Liara, to keep them both safe. While it had seemed reasonable at the time, in that moment she hated herself for it. After getting high, she felt so clear, focused even, ready for anything. Without the edge the drugs gave her, she felt sluggish and foggy. And in situations like the one she was in now, it had endangered the lives of her crew, which was completely unacceptable. Back then she had used for different reasons, Shepard thought absentmindedly, as she prepared to do something incredibly stupid.

_It had been four whole years, since she had entered the employ of Aria T'Loak. The queen of Omega had been so impressed by her, that she had offered the orphan a place to stay. After a while though, the asari had become a surrogate mother to her. True, most mothers don't send their daughters to kill people, or to run drugs for them, but hey, beggars can't be chooser's. And things had worked out well, Ariadne had shown a penchant for violence, but more importantly, she excelled at it. The killing had become second nature to her and after murdering her rapist step-father, it had come naturally. Time had changed Shepard, she had grown surprisingly good at being a criminal, rumor even had it, that she would eventually replace Aria as leader of Omega. _

_Ariadne's favorite place to get away from her life of crime was a balcony, not far from Afterlife, where she could dangle her legs and think about life. _

_She could smell the perfume first and a smile crossed the then eighteen year-olds lips. 'You should know better than to sneak up on me, Aria.'_

'_My mistake, I just wanted to see if I could still surprise you.' Aria replied, before sitting down next to her protégée. In recent months though, Aria had stopped thinking of Shepard as her daughter and had instead been having very impure thoughts about the girl next to her. Casually she swung her arm around the young woman's shoulders and pulled her close. _

'_It is cold out here isn't it darling' Aria whispered in the most seductive voice she could manage. _

_Shepard wasn't naïve enough to not understand the intention behind those words. Instead of speaking Shepard simply nodded her head, but Aria had to make sure before she went any further._

'_How about we head back to my place, where we can warm up?'_

_Silently Ariadne stood up, dusted herself off and offered her hand to the asari. As she pulled herself up, Aria secretly hoped that Shepard was more vocal in bed. _

_Once they had entered the luxurious apartment that the queen of Omega called home, she had offered the human female some liquor. _

_Aria however had decided to add a little something to the beverage, so as to spice up the evening a little for her soon to be lover. Greedily Shepard had accepted the drink and had poured the contents down her throat in one huge gulp. Immediately the effect had kicked in, Shepard decided, that she had never felt so energetic or powerful in her life. As Aria clicked the button that adjusted the mood music she had just put on, she stepped closer to the young girl. Without hesitation Shepard embraced the one person she trusted in a tight hug, before she leaned in to kiss the beautiful asari. _

'_Eager… I can work with that.' Aria whispered in to her lover's ear, before biting and nipping along Shepard's jaw line. Ariadne felt beyond ecstatic as she peeled off her garments, revealing her well developed breasts and her lithe frame. After they had both stripped and retreated to the couch, their kissing intensified. _

_The remainder of the night was filled with wild moaning and animalistic sounds as two extremely dangerous people devoured each other. _

Ariadne checked her gun one last time, before she gave the absurd order. 'Listen, the only way we are getting out of here, is if I charge out there and draw their fire, the two of you can then make your escape.'

Garrus and Wrex stared at one another incredulously for a moment, before they both started shouting in disagreement.

'Shut up, both of you, I'll be fine.' Ariadne said mostly to herself.

Wrex stood directly in front of her and started bellowing into her face: 'No Shepard, you won't there are too many Geth out there!'

Just as she was about to retort, the Normandy came flying into view and Joker's voice boomed into their headsets: 'If you idiots can get to the ridge fifty yards from here I can open the cargo doors and we can all get out of here alive.'

Before Shepard could disregard her teammate's pleas, Wrex vaulted out of cover and screamed for them to follow his lead.

Two hours later and the krogan was still in critical condition. He'd taken countless torso shots and Dr. Chakwas had been in surgery since they'd miraculously made it out. Shepard had snuck off to drown her sorrows with booze and her favorite blow.

_The next morning Ariadne rolled over to see the most beautiful sight of her short life. Aria was softly snoring and her breathing made her chest rise and fall in the most alluring manner. With a finger she softly traced a line down across the blue skin of her lover's arm. Aria lifted an eyelid and looked down at the angel, lying next to her. Shepard's pitch black hair was spread out across her pillow, whilst also covering her vision, so she didn't notice Aria watching her. _

'_Why don't you reach a little lower?' Aria whispered in the sexiest voice she could manage.  
_

_Ariadne blushed, before she complied with the request. Before things got out of hand however, Shepard wanted her lover to know how important the previous night had been for her. _

'_Listen Aria, I have something to confess.' Nervousness racked the young girl, but she had to be certain._

_Aria didn't really want the interruption, but she noticed the look on Ariadne's face, so she put as much emotion behind the words as she could: 'What is it dear?' _

'_It's just that, you were my first time and I don't want this to be a onetime thing.' Shepard muttered as quickly and quietly as humanly possible. _

_Aria swept her into another hug. 'Darling, you did fine. Don't worry; I'll always be here for you.' Smiling to herself Shepard swung her leg over Aria's thigh, so that she was straddling the asari. She quickly closed the gap between them and planted a kiss on Aria's sweet lips._

Liara T'Soni was browsing the extranet, looking for more information on Shepard's past. She couldn't give a definitive answer, as to why she was 'stalking' her commander. Sure she was attracted to her and in their previous discussion Ariadne had even implied, that the feeling was mutual. But Liara knew something was wrong with Shepard, whenever they seemed to be getting closer, she would push her away with some flimsy excuse. She also looked pale and sickly most of the time and would often lock herself in her quarters for hours on end.

Liara nearly fell out of her chair, when the sound of an arriving message jerked her back into reality.

_Thought this might be of interest to you. _

_-Shadow Broker_

It was an article out of one of the most prominent news sources on the politics of crime lords in Omega. There was a blurry picture of Aria T'Loak and in the background; Liara could barely make out a younger version of her commander sitting behind the asari, looking at the criminal with absolute adoration in her eyes.

_Author's note: Time flies, when you're not having fun. Sorry again for the delay, life got in the way of things as usual. I desperately wanted to show a nicer side of Aria, I think she is an absolutely amazing character and I adore her. However this is still a Liara-centric story, even though it might not seem like that at this point in time. Don't worry! I know that the chapters are incredibly short, but a great man once said: 'Brevity is the soul of wit', a statement I absolutely agree with. Reviews are as always welcome and appreciated. Till next time, my dears._


	6. Chapter 6

**Characters belong to Bioware  
**

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_Two of the most wonderful months of her young life spent with the woman, who had taken her in, given her a place to stay and more importantly, introduced her to pleasure in the bedroom. Those were times of bliss for Ariadne, times, that sadly weren't meant to be. Such happiness came at a heavy price, a cost that Shepard had been more than willing to pay. The drugs gave her such exuberance; made their sex a hazy ecstasy, allowed her to forget the pains of her youth and they enabled her to keep killing without the nightmares and without remorse. Aria recognized only too late, how the pills and powder affected her young lover. The girl grew thin and pale and she became angry and short tempered, whenever she needed a fix. _

_Then on a rainy night, everything changed._

Liara had never in her wildest dreams been able to imagine Shepard as a criminal, not even when Tali had told her as much. The asari hadn't even believed the scarce reports on the history of the specter, which admittedly only gave a very vague impression of her past. Nothing available on the extranet pointed to a close relationship between Ariadne and Aria T'Loak.

But Shepard's eyes said everything the asari scientist needed to know, the lustful way she was eye-fucking the queen of Omega in the picture made Liara feel an icy stab of jealousy. Although she was still considered a maiden amongst her people, she was not naïve enough to mistake the look on Shepard's face. She needed to confront the commander once and for all; she'd had enough of the way they danced around each other, she needed to know if there was any chance of them ever being together.

Gathering as much courage as possible, the asari decided that there was no time like the present and with that sentiment she exited her room and headed towards the captain's quarters.

Cautiously she knocked on the door twice. No answer.

No turning back now, Liara thought to herself, before she knocked again with more vigor.

Again, there was no answer.

'Shepard, are you in there?'

No reply.

Tossing caution to the wind, the asari pushed open the doors, to reveal the woman she was infatuated with, in all her glory. Ariadne lay passed out on the floor, with what Liara could only assume to be some kind of narcotic covering her face. She quickly rushed over to her and checked her pulse. At first, she feared the worst, until she could just barely make out the slow rhythmic beating that signified that the foolish commander was still amongst the living.

'What have you done, you idiotic woman?!' Liara managed to cry out, before she burst into tears.

'_YOU STUPID ASARI WHORE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I TRUSTED YOU!' Shepard screamed at the top of her lungs, before she drew her favorite pistol._

_There was no word to describe the shame Aria felt in that moment. She had had too much to drink that night, when from across the room she had spotted a young human female dancing in the crowd. Shepard had been missing for the last two days, trying to score some type of salarian hallucinogen. _

_The queen of Omega loved her human companion like a daughter, yet she often felt compelled to fuck her brains out, a fact, that wasn't considered very motherly by most. _

_However during the last couple of weeks, she had grown tired of the anger and overall bitterness. Aria wanted a distraction, something to take her mind off of the troubled youth. _

_It had taken little persuasion from her, to convince the girl from the club to come home with her, even less, to make her comply with some of Aria's favorite acts of perversion. In a moment of stupidity, she had allowed the girl, who so resembled Shepard, to spend the night in bed with her. Aria was to feel the repercussions of that dreadful betrayal, the moment Ariadne arrived unexpectedly, to find her one true love in bed with another woman. _

'_FILTHY BITCH!' Shepard bellowed as she savagely beat Aria in the face with the butt of her gun. All of the women in the room started sobbing uncontrollably. _

_Just as Shepard raised her arm to deliver another brutal blow to the asari's face, the foolish house guest decided to intervene, a mistake that would have fatal consequences for her. With a look of utter hatred, Ariadne simply raised her gun and pulled the trigger. The white sheets of the bed were immediately colored red. _

_Without a second glance, Shepard stood up, brushed herself off and left a sobbing and beaten Aria lying on the ground. _

Liara had immediately called for help. The good doctor hadn't even seemed surprised when she walked in, to find Liara crying and holding the hand of the drug addled commander. She argued that Ariadne displayed all the typical traits of drug seeking behavior. The practically suicidal fighting on the battlefield, the long bouts of depression, as well as the heavy drinking, seemed conclusive to .

Shepard was about to experience a very drastic change in her life.

_Shepard's philandering after her violent break-up with Aria grew to become close to legend. There was hardly an asari dancer left on Omega, whom Ariadne hadn't bedded. Her drug use grew out of control, which resulted in a deadly circle of vices. The more she tried to make the violence go away, the more powder she would snort. The caliber of drugs that Shepard wanted however didn't come cheap, so she was forced to resort to the one thing she knew how to do. Murder became her profession and she was unparalleled at it. _

_Aria had repeatedly tried to contact her lover, but Shepard ignored any such attempt. She feared that if she saw the asari again, she would finish the job she started. _

_Author's note: Again I must say that I greatly appreciate all the support I have received. And yes, at first I had chosen Ariadne's name because it so resembled Aria's… Recently, as I reread this story however, I realized that it can be quite difficult at times, to try to hold the two names apart. Ah well, you'll just have to make do, dear reader. The LiaraxFemshep bits are soon to come, don't worry. I also desperately want to skip ahead to ME2, so we can have conflict between the two ex-lovers. Tell me what you think in your wonderful reviews! Xoxo Amy_


	7. Chapter 7

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

They hadn't spoken in weeks. After Liara had found her lying on the ground, drugged off her ass, Shepard had avoided the asari scientist like the plague. The one good thing that had come of the whole ordeal was that could monitor the commander constantly. She had been giving Shepard medication to help with the withdrawl. Her combat performance however declined at an alarming rate, as well as her decision making. That's when Virmire happened and everything came to a head.

Shepard choked on the hard decisions. The lack of drugs in her system severely impaired her abilities, to the point that Garrus had had to take over team leadership. When Saren appeared and engaged them in combat, she hadn't been able to kill him, nor had she been able to save Kaiden, after they had argued about who would guard the bomb. His sacrifice left her with a horrendous feeling. Never in her life had she doubted herself, not even when she was at an all time low. Shepard had always believed in her ability to pull through the worst situations imaginable.

Now she sat alone in her quarters crying and wondering, whether she was the right person for the job.

A sudden knocking on the door ripped her out of her grief and back into reality.

'Go away!' Shepard shouted hysterically at the would-be intruder.

Liara ignored the remark and entered the room. With quick paces she passed the bed and cast any caution or reservations she might have had aside. She knew that the human was hurting and she couldn't stand it any longer. 'Listen to me Shepard, you need help. I know that you've been avoiding me. Just tell me how I can be of assistance.' The words left her mouth as quickly as possible, so she couldn't take any of it back, even if she wanted to.

'What are you talking about-'

'Don't give me that, I know that you've been on drugs. I know that you grew up on Omega.'

Silence filled the room for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to Liara.

Gathering whatever courage she had left she continued with her rant. 'We all have our demons, but that doesn't mean that it's okay to act like children!'

Ariadne was beyond shocked by the change in the young scientist's demeanor. Gone was the bumbling girl she had grown to care for so much; a completely different person stood before her.

'Get off your ass and tell me what's wrong with you.'

That's when Shepard realized, that it all of it was an act, the asari maiden was beyond nervous, her voice was trembling, her body was shaking.

Ignoring the raw grief, that threatened to overwhelm her, she rose with trembling feet and inched towards the frightened girl. Ariadne was immediately reminded of her old flame Aria, when she approached the asari. Those thoughts however were immediately cast aside, the moment she looked into those bright blue eyes. Shepard couldn't hold back any longer, she had to know what those blue lips tasted like. The kiss came unexpectedly for both of them, although it was just a short peck on the mouth. Liara's eyes widened in surprise at the feeling, for she had never done anything like that in her entire life. It was admittedly the best thing that had happened to her in a long time though and she was incredibly disappointed, when it was over.

Shepard seemed equally surprised that she had gone through with it. More importantly though, the kiss had washed away all the horrendous feelings she had had, since the catastrophe on Virmire.

'I… I need to leave.' Liara quietly whispered, barely audible. As she turned towards the door, Shepard grabbed her by the arm and spun her back, so that they were facing again. 'Please, Shepard, this is not what's best for you at the moment.'

'I'll decide that for myself.'

She replied in an extremely husky voice, with a small grin appearing on her face, after she noticed how flushed the girl had become.

Shepard leaned in for another kiss, which Liara reciprocated unintentionally. Ariadne took that as all the motivation she needed to deepen the kiss. Passionately she slipped her tongue past the asari's lips, whilst simultaneously pulling them closer. The woman felt impossibly fragile in Liara's arms, a fact that stood in stark contrast to her imposing attitude. Her figure was delicate, like a glass sculpture, so much so, that Liara wondered if it could even be the same ferocious woman, who she witnessed fighting on the battlefield. Those thoughts were invalidated, the moment Shepard hoisted her up, without breaking their heated kiss, so that her shapely blue legs were wrapped around the human's slight frame.

Their lustful embrace was cut short by the blaring of Joker's voice on the intercom, asking the commander to report to the deck.

Sighing contentedly Shepard broke the contact and looked into Liara's eyes once again, before whispering right in her ear.

'I think it better we quit now, while I can still stop myself.'

'What if I don't want you to stop?'

The asari was just as surprised by her response as Ariadne, which did little to stop the human from licking down across the blue skin of the asari's jaw.

_The rain covered Aria's tears from Shepard's sight. The queen of Omega had finally tracked her down on Thessia, where Shepard had spent her entire time at a bar, drinking her sorrows away. When she noticed her former lover standing there she spat out a harsh laugh, before returning her attention to the drink in front of her. _

'_I'm so sorry for what I did, Shepard, you must believe me!' Aria shouted as she ran closer to the human female she so loved. _

_Ariadne seemed far off in her thoughts though and when she drew closer, Aria realized that the human's eyes were clouded by the haze of her favorite drug. _

_With a trembling hand she reached out to stroke the pale flesh of Shepard's gaunt cheek. The instant their skin made contact, her eye's cleared and she violently flipped Aria onto her back. _

_She delivered another punch to the asari's face, knocking her out cold. _

_Little did she know, there was another man sitting at that bar watching the exchange take place. _

_Admiral Hackett stood up and calmly followed the drunken woman. When she was within shouting distance, he called after her. 'How would you be interested in a job?'_

_Author's note: Once again time slips away and my writing suffers for it. I wonder if there's a saying for when lots of bad things happen at once? Ah well, for now I'm back and I have decided to continue with this little story. Perhaps a quick explanation, as to why there has been so little actual dialogue between our favorite couple. The reasoning is rather simple: In my opinion neither of them was ready for it. It is something that has bothered me and it has hopefully been remedied with this chapter. (Bonus points to those who understand irony!) A quick shout out to Ellwyndara, who has helped me with her kind words. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_AN: I apologize for the long delay between updates... A friend of mine passed away and I've spent the last month locked in my apartment, drinking. Anyway here's another chapter._

Shepard had done the impossible, she'd killed Sovereign. An orphan from the streets had become an icon. For the first time in a long while, things had taken a turn for the better in her personal life as well. Ariadne had found someone she could always rely upon, a shoulder to cry on, a body to hold, when the nightmares returned. And yet they hadn't moved passed the occasional chaste kiss on the lips, Shepard felt absurdly protective of her shy asari girlfriend. She didn't want to rush the virginal scientist to fast; she couldn't imagine putting the girl through the pain she had experienced during her first sexual encounter.

With an idle finger she drew a line down the blue arm that was wrapped across her chest. Despite the lack of physical intimacy, they still shared a bed, something Ariadne had insisted upon, in order to keep an eye on her possession.

Blinking away the sleep from her eyes, Liara gazed at the lithe female form that was sprawled out across the mattress next to her. Shepard hadn't noticed that she was awake yet and whispered silently to her, whilst absentmindedly continuing with the soft caresses.

"You're so beautiful."

Liara opened her brilliant blue eyes all the way and gazed at Ariadne with absolute adoration written across her face.

"I love you."

Liara didn't know what had overcome her to say those words, but she knew beyond a doubt that it was the truest thing ever to leave her lips.

Without warning tears started to run down Shepard's cheeks, as she pulled herself closer than humanly possible to the asari.

"It's just that no one has ever said that to me."

Shepard managed to choke out before she began to sob violently, barely able to even speak.

Liara didn't even attempt to stop her own tears from falling as she clung to her girlfriend.

"I love you too."

_Aria's descent into anger had been brutal and at a rampant pace. The self-loathing was the worst; she was at fault for pushing away the daughter she had always wanted, after Liselle had died. However 'daughter' really was the wrong word; a more apt description was love of her life. She had never even had the courage to tell her as much. So the self-proclaimed Queen of Omega had hurled herself into her work, blindly trying to forget what she had done to the girl she had raised. _

It was in the middle of the night when the Collector's attacked. The beam of energy had hit the Normandy without warning, killing many of the crew instantaneously. The two would be lovers had thrown themselves out of bed and pulled their respective armor on as quickly as possible. Then the unthinkable happened, Shepard forced the girl she had fallen for to leave without her.

The darkness was beyond oppressive, the lack of oxygen a pain impossible to explain. And strangely enough, she had only one regret.

Two years later.

Shepard woke up in pain; an angelic voice could be heard, shouting something incomprehensible. And yet in her heart Ariadne knew that she couldn't be in heaven.

**Fuck. That was too short. I'm sorry if my writing isn't up to par, just testing the waters. Let me know if I should continue.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9_  
_

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_AN: Once again I am overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received for the last chapter. Obviously I felt like I let my audience down, with such little content after such a long period of time. So I decided to pull myself together for another update. Ellwyndara, you are a beautiful person. _

_Miranda Lawson didn't know what to think. The Illusive Man had given her an almost infinite amount of resources along with a task she had initially considered absurd. Now though, looking back, she realized that she had vastly underestimated her own abilities. The woman lying prone on her operating table had already awoken once, gasping and choking for air. _

_An alert from her terminal indicated that she had just received a message._

'_We need to talk.'_

Liara T'Soni was not the same innocent young girl she had been on the Normandy. Her new occupation coupled with the abrupt loss of the woman she had grown to love had opened her eyes in ways she could never have imagined. Where once she had spent long nights contemplating the reason, as to why Shepard had turned to drugs, or what the exact nature of her relationship with the criminal leader of Omega had been, now seemed simple to the information broker.

She was a broken ex-criminal who never had a family. She had been fucking Aria T'Loak.

It was almost depressing, when Liara looked back at the time that had passed, since Shepard had left her. For there was not a doubt in her mind, that Ariadne had chosen Joker over a life with her and it was that thought alone, that had driven her to become almost cruel and vindictive.

However despite all the anger she felt towards the commander, who had so impacted and changed her life, she knew deep down in her heart, that she was still deeply in love with the woman. So infatuated in fact, that she had stolen her corpse and sold it to a terrorist group who planned to resurrect her to save the galaxy.

Since giving over the body to some woman in a ridiculous outfit, she hadn't received any further information. Thusly, Liara was content to simply wait impatiently for news and to check the extranet daily for any possible updates.

'_Well, Miss Lawson, I've heard good things about our little project.' The Illusive took a long drag from the cigarette dangling from his fingers, while he waited for a response from the undoubtedly perfect woman standing in front of him. _

_Miranda did her best to wave the smoke from her face and to ignore the lustful gaze she was being confronted with. _

'_It seems she has started to regain some cognitive function. So far, there is nothing to indicate, that she won't make a complete recovery.' _

'_I can tell that you have something on your chest. Just spit it out Operative.'_

_The double-meaning along with the appreciative leer he gave her bust, made her want to scream. She hesitated a moment calming herself, before answering in the coldest voice she could manage._

'_I believe that we should implement the device I referred to earlier. The woman was unhinged, the doctor reports show irregular sleeping patterns, constant drug use and a tendency to bed anything with legs. Is this really the type of person we need right now?'_

_The Illusive Man simply smiled and shook his head._

'_I've already explained this to you once; she needs to be exactly as she was before. I hope that we won't have to have this conversation again.'_

_The threat loomed in the air for a few terse moments, before Miranda turned heel and fled the room. She could feel the way his eyes followed the sway of her hips as she walked, leaving her with a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Despite what the nickname some people had bestowed upon her might suggest, Miranda was anything but unpleasant to be around. A strange thought crossed her mind as she sat down at her desk and got ready to continue with her work. _

_All she ever really wanted was to have someone ignore her looks and tell her that they loved her. _

Sighing Liara turned off her terminal and played with Shepards dog tags, which she now wore underneath her lap coat. It was a habit she had picked up, whenever she thought about her. A few years ago, Liara wouldn't have understood what it meant to lose a soul mate, she couldn't have, the concept would have been too foreign. Now, alone the idea of ever being with anyone other than Ariadne seemed offensive to her.

If only they had had more time together, to get to know each other. Thinking back Liara remembered how awkward and wonderful their relationship had been in the beginning. Neither of them had really been ready at the time for such a commitment and yet it was completely undeniable that they had belonged together. Strangely enough, they had barely even spoken to one another; words were neither sufficient nor required to express their feelings.

If only she had had the courage to throw away all her youthful inhibitions and ravaged Shepard, while she had still been alive. All those nights they had spent together were missed opportunities in Liara's eyes, failed chances at becoming a half to a whole. Slowly the tears began to form at the corner of her eyes, as she wistfully remembered the last night they had spent together, where she had declared her love for the woman. Now the tears started to fall rapidly as one hand reached towards the hem of the skirt she was wearing, Liara did all she could to remember the texture of human skin as she deftly pulled her panties to one side and roughly stroked the warmth between her legs. And yet she knew that it was a pointless exercise, that would leave her frustrated. An asari could never find release without a partner. That did nothing to stop Liara from gathering some moisture from her lips and slipping a blue digit in.

**I feel extremely self-conscious for posting material like this. If you do not like it, I would really appreciate it, if you'd keep it to yourself. Constructive criticism is always welcome though... I ran out of booze today, now I have to go buy more. Fuck. **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

**AN: Big thank you for all the kind words. I'm not sure where this is going or where it will end.**

Shepard's first indication, that she was still alive, was the sound of gunfire and sirens. The next thought that raced through her mind, was whether or not that was even possible. Her last memory was the feeling of pain and the darkness that descended upon her after being sucked into space.

An angelic voice rang out across an intercom, which she vaguely recognized, but couldn't quite place.

'Shepard! Shepard! You need to get up!'

A splitting headache stopped any further attempts at recalling what had happened to her. With sluggish movements she did as the woman with the beautiful voice told and gathered up her armor and a pistol, before making her way out of the room.

_Liara was sitting in her chair reading a data pad, when she got an unexpected cal from a man she had been trying to contact for quite some time._

_The Illusive Man sat in his throne, coldly gazing at her with inhuman eyes. He was a far call from what she had expected, with handsome features for someone his age. _

'_Doctor T'Soni, introduction on my part seems pointless now really, so I hope we can skip the formalities. I believe I have some good news for you.'_

'_Well, spit it out then.' Liara replied venomously. _

_Project Lazarus was a success.'_

_Complete shock was the only thing the overwhelmed asari could feel. Immediately after the initial reaction had subsided though, it was replaced by roaring anger._

'_YOU LEAVE ME IN THE DARK FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS AND NOW YOU"RE TELLING ME SHE'S ALIVE?!_

_The Cerberus leader simply laughed at her rage and calmly took a long pull from his ever-present cigarette. _

'_Up until now we had no reason to contact you. However now it seemed prudent.'_

_He seemed to be waiting for some sort of answer, but when he realized he would be receiving none, he continued as though the interruption hadn't happened._

'_Well I'll skip to the point then. Do not, under any circumstance try to contact the Commander. We need her to remain absolutely focused on the mission.'_

'_You can't be serious. Why, in the name of the goddess, would I ever do that?' Liara said breathlessly. _

'_If she decides to run off to be with some asari whore, she'll be of no value to me and I'd rather have her terminated. I don't feel like drawing this out, so heed my warning girl, before you make a mistake that you'll regret.' _

_With that he disconnected the call and left Liara to sob in despair.  
_

Shepard had had a horrible fucking day. First she'd been told that she'd been dead for two years. After that wonderful bit of knowledge had barely had time to sink in, she learned of the colony abductions and of her mission. She had yet to receive any further information, especially the kind she desperately craved.

Where was her old team? Why hadn't the terrorists just picked out someone better suited for the task at hand? Mostly she just needed to know how to reach Liara.

Even thinking of the poor girl made her chest tighten in pain. How on earth had the girl managed to handle her death? Would she still want the things she had wanted two years ago?

The countless questions that swirled around in her head, made it nigh impossible to concentrate on anything going on around her, let alone be able interact with her new acquaintances.

Her first impression of the guy was that he was a brute, who tried to act all compassionate and understanding. Ariadne immediately hated him and did her best to ignore everything he said.

The woman however proved far more interesting. Even though her luscious lips were moving and undoubtedly forming words, Shepard had trouble concentrating on anything but the perfect set of breasts in front of her. Upon noticing that she had started to drool she shook her head to dispel any such thoughts and reminded herself that she was in a committed relationship with someone, even if they hadn't spoken in two goddamn years.

'Did you listen to a word I just said?' The beautiful woman asked.

Shepard felt like she was going to throw up.

'No not really.'

Mirand's chest heaved in a sigh; she just knew that this was going to be difficult.

'I know this might not be the best time, but we are on a tight schedule. We need to make sure that everything in your brain is functioning properly, so once again, tell me where you grew up.'

'Fuck off.'

'Shepard-'

'If you keep talking, I'll shut that pretty mouth of yours for you.'

The remainder of the trip was spent in silence.

_Aria T'Loak had spent the last two years building and solidifying her empire. However as more and more time passed, she still couldn't shake the immense sorrow she felt upon hearing of Ariadne's death. Who could have known what the girl would accomplish? The savior of the citadel is what people called her. Aria still secretly referred to her as 'my love'._

Shepard had never been more frustrated and angry in her entire brutal life. Some asshole had told her that she was some tool to be used to stop the Collectors. That's why they had brought her back and put her back together, so she could save the world again.

Then he told her something that had broken her heart. Liara had moved in with some human male on Illium.

Of course she had moved on. Shepard had been dead. It was unreasonable to expect someone to wait for the impossible.

Ariadne had accepted the news with a stone cold face and had agreed to the 'Suicide Mission'.

In her heart, she was already dead.

'_That was incredibly foolish.' Miranda scolded her employer, whilst frantically pacing the room. _

'_It was necessary, the asari is a distraction.'_

'_What happens, when she figures out, that you just lied to her? What then?'_

'_By then she'll have hopefully succeeded with her mission and she'll no longer be of any use to us.'_

_Miranda stormed off without saying another word. She hated the way the woman was being treated; she couldn't imagine the pain she was in. And above all, it worried her. Shepard was known for self-destructive behavior. This ploy was incredibly risky. What kind of ramifications there'd be was anyone's guess._

Ariadne stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom and looked at herself. The reflection was not pretty. Where she had once been rather thin, she now looked anorexic. Her face was covered in red scars, as was the rest of her once flawless skin. The color of her skin had taken on a porcelain white complexion, due to the time spent on an operating table.

'How could anyone love you now?' Shepard asked her reflection.

With a shaking fist she started to slam her hand repeatedly against the glass, until it was completely destroyed and her hands bled. A growing sense of rage started to build up inside of her, as she grabbed a gun from her closet and used the butt of her rifle to demolish the tile of the walls, along with the sink. With a howl of absolute pain she dropped the weapon on to the ground and sunk to the floor, where she sobbed herself to sleep.

**Going out on the weekend, don't know when I can update next.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_Author's note: My dear readers, there are no words to express the gratitude I feel for your continued support. So I'll just leave this here, without any further comment. _

She had never wanted to return to that hellhole. The moment Miranda had told her that they would be picking up two crew members on Omega a shiver had run down her spine. Almost immediately she had excused herself to go cry in one of the public showers, since her bathroom was undergoing some renovation. Ariadne had always tried to keep up a tough demeanor, no matter what life threw at her and yet now she spent most of her days sobbing her eyes out.

As she leaned against the door of the stall, she thoughtlessly turned on the water. Without even taking off her clothes she slumped on to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest.

It had been two weeks, since her resurrection she had yet to receive a single word from her former lover. Shepard had contacted anyone and everyone, who owed her a favor and not a single one had been able to give her an address or even the name of the man Liara supposedly shared a house with. Every time her terminal rang her heart would flutter and she secretly hoped that the once shy girl would nervously apologize and things would go back to normal. Or at least she could have the bloody courtesy to tell her to back off.

When more of the depressing thoughts filled her mind, her sobbing only intensified, until she was a shaking and shivering mess.

_Aria T'Loak missed her protégé so much it hurt. The last few nights the feelings of loss had been more intense and had come right before her sleep and the fear of the nightmares had kept her awake. Above all the queens of Omega missed the feeling of wrapping her arms around the petite frame of the girl and being able to hug her close. Whenever that thought would cross her mind, she would grab one of her pillows and shed silent tears into it._

Miranda Lawson was the only one to catch the look of sheer terror on the commander's face, upon mentioning the space station. Of course she had heard the rumors about her rough childhood, but up until that moment, she had considered them to be unfounded. Now she wasn't so sure, especially after her violent reaction to questioning on the shuttle, when she had inquired about the woman's upbringing.

Soon after the briefing, she had followed the commander to the crew bathrooms and had patiently waited outside.

Suddenly she heard the woman's muffled cries and the Ice Queen was touched by a very human emotion.

Cursing under her breath, Miranda knew that the invincible Commander Shepard was in no shape to lead them anywhere.

_Liara had spent the entire time after her conversation with the Illusive Man dedicating every resource to finding the woman she loved. It hadn't taken her long to track down the remodeled Normandy, with her newly acquired skill set. As she watched its flight path a very uneasy feeling crept through her body. The ship was en route to Omega. _

'_Oh Shepard, what in the name of the goddess are you doing?'_

Dread filled her entire being, the moment her foot touched the ground of the criminal haven. With a very deliberate gaze, her eyes traveled all over the uniquely familiar surroundings. Shepard had only taken the Cerberus woman with her, seeing as she wasn't very fond of her other companion. Ignoring the worried look, that Miranda gave her, Shepard slowly shook her head, before starting on the path towards Afterlife. Each step brought her closer and closer to the one person she had missed other than Liara.

Death had given her a new perspective on the events and mistakes of her life and she hoped that she could finally reconcile with Aria. She hadn't forgiven her for cheating though and there would be consequences to be paid for that betrayal.

The music was the first thing that she noticed. Next came the immediately recognizable stench of the place, followed by a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time in her life. A time where her only desire had been to make her queen happy, no matter the job, be it smuggling, dealing or killing.

With almost shaky steps she entered the hallway leading to the night club, where she had grown up. Miranda sensed the unease in the woman next to her, but she held her tongue.

'Hopefully this won't turn into a complete disaster.'

Shepard gave her a shaky smile before responding.

'Don't worry; I'll do my best to keep you in one piece.'

As they descended down the walkway, the people around them gave Shepard a wide berth. A very uncommon thing happened that evening, Afterlife went quiet. The shouting turned to whispering and muttering the closer Ariadne came to Aria's den. The dancers stopped their gyrations and simply gaped open mouthed at the return of Omega's most infamous enforcer.

Aria T'Loak noticed the bizarre behavior and slowly turned her head towards the commotion.

Cobalt blue eyes met fiery red ones.

'Shepard…?' Aria mouthed breathlessly. Her heart rate picked up. She didn't trust her legs as she stumbled towards her long lost lover.

'Aria.' Shepard didn't know what came over her, but she was sprinting towards the first familiar face she'd seen in two years. Their bodies collided and it felt as though time had stopped. They were the only ones in the entire galaxy.

'Where the fuck have you been?!' Aria cried out, as tears were already forming in her eyes.

'Dead.'

The tone of her voice made Aria simply wrap her arms tighter around the frail girl, just as she had fantasized about every night, since they had parted.

Miranda had never seen a sight like this before in her entire life. She had heard so many tales of the countless atrocities committed by the so called Queen of Omega, that she had never pictured Aria actually caring for another person. And yet right in front of her the two of them were whispering in each other's ears, the way two lovers would. It was then, that Miranda realized that she didn't have a clue, as to who her Commander was. The only thing the Cerberus Loyalist longed for was someone to hold her the way Ariadne was embracing Aria.

**Anyway, I don't think everyone will like where this story is headed, just rest assured that the tags are still correctly labeled, even if it may not always seem like it…. I just think Aria deserves to be happy, too. **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_**Author's note: Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their support. However I do wish you'd tell me what you'd like to see or if you want something changed. This story is headed towards a conclusion and I'm not sure if or what I'd write next. One of the best parts about ff is that the audience can be part of the whole creative process. Anyway, enjoy.  
**_

They had returned to Shepard's quarters, under the pretense, that they wanted to catch up in private. Since her relationship with Cerberus began, Miranda had made sure that she stayed sober. The moment the Cerberus woman stopped paying attention to them, they had stealthily grabbed some drinks and run to the safety of Ariadne's cabin. Giggling like schoolgirls, they sat across from each other and emptied bottle after bottle. Immediately the effects started to set in and for the first time since she had died, Shepard felt elation. Her relationship with Aria had seemingly been repaired and she had finally managed to forget Liara. Even mentioning the scientist's name made her angry, she seethed at the thought of some man taking her. Loyalty was something Shepard valued beyond anything else and yet of the two women she'd actually loved, both of them had betrayed her trust.

The alcohol in Aria's system clouded whatever judgment she might have had and she decided to change the subject. She had to know whether the rumors about Matriarch Benezia's daughter were true.

'So, were you with anyone since we…?'

A slight pause.

'You know the answer to that.'

'No I don't mean all those dancers you blindly fucked on my space station. Were you together with anyone?'

The anger in her voice started to rise, she knew objectively that she had been the one to ruin their relationship, but she couldn't imagine her lover caring for anyone other than her.

'…Yes. But it wasn't like what we had. It's only been two years and she's already moved on.'

Aria reached out and slowly stroked the girl's arm. The feeling of her skin against her fingers was exquisite.

'I'm so sorry.' Aria lied.

'No one's ever cared for me the way you did.'

Ariadne leaned her head against Aria's chest. She could hear the heartbeat quicken as she stole a glance at the elegant face above her.

'You mean no one's loved you the way I do.'

Slowly Aria rolled the human girl off of her, until they were both laying next to one another at eye-level. Without hesitation Shepard replied by inching closer until their noses were brushing.

When the two started kissing, it was a slow, almost chaste brushing of the lips. Quickly their embrace progressed and turned into a complete make-out session. Shepard was the first to slip her toungue against the asari's blue mouth. The request for entrance was granted by an overjoyed Aria, who reciprocated manically. Even though their lipstick smeared, neither seemed to mind. After what seemed like an eternity, the pair was forced to come up for air.

'I love you Ariadne. I love you so much it hurts.'

Her confession was all the motivation required for her to take things to the next level. Unceremoniously she stood up and slipped out of the uniform she had been wearing, leaving her in just her grey boy-shorts; she hadn't bothered with a bra.

Aria took in the sight before her.

To others her body wouldn't be considered sexy, she was too thin and her torso and face were covered in thin red scars. Along with the fact that she had incredibly small proportions, she seemed more like a broken girl, than a warrior of myth. And yet in Aria's eyes she was perfect just the way she was.

As Ariadne straddled her soon to be lover, the fabric of her underwear rode up against her core and she felt arousal course through her.

Aria slipped a hand down between their bodies and caressed the white thighs of the girl in various patterns, doing her utmost from touching the area that screamed for attention.

'Say it again.' Ariadne pleaded quietly.

'I love you.'

The huskiness in her voice drove Shepard's body wild, she couldn't wait any longer.

'Show me.'

Neither of them were much for foreplay and Aria ran a single blue digit along the damp fabric with an outrageously slow movement.

'Baby, you're so wet for me.'

Shepard could only moan in ecstasy.

When Aria finally gave her what she needed, she let out a harsh cry and clung to the woman next to her with all her strength.

'Join with me.' Aria whispered into her ear, as she sped up the movement of her hand.

Their fears, hopes and dreams became one, as Shepard grew closer and closer to the edge. Their mental connection caused Aria to feel exactly what she was doing to the girl riding on her lap.

In the back of her mind she did her best to hide the fact that she was mapping Ariadne's DNA.

_Liara T'Soni sat alone in the darkness of her office. She had managed to hack some of the video footage on Omega. It had been enough to see what her former lover was doing, or more likely, who she was going to do. Sadness and fury boiled inside of the lonely scientist, until she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to see Shepard, to hold her and do the things they hadn't been able to do. Liara began to realize that she wasn't going to let anyone separate them anymore. Not the Illusive Man and especially not some asari whore could keep the two of them apart any longer. With that sentiment, Liara looked around, seizing up all the essential items she'd need for her trip and decided that she'd head out immediately. She'd be with Shepard, even if it killed her. _

**I'm leaving town for a little while, don't know when I'll be back. If possible I'll update whilst I'm away. Please don't be discouraged, tell me if you loved it or hated it.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

**Author's note: So, my absence was caused by a rather unexpected journey abroad. However I've returned home and things can hopefully proceed at the regular pace. **

**The support I've been given is beyond anything I'd ever expected, so for that I thank you my dear audience. **

Aria had been watching her sleep for the past hour. She loved how at peace the girl next to her looked, the way her eyelids fluttered while she dreamt, the slow rhythmic movement of her chest. The fact that her lover didn't have much of a bust, didn't even register with her, she found the view to be alluring nonetheless. In her many years, she never felt as safe and secure as she did when wrapped in the embrace of her commander.

If possible, she had fallen even harder for Ariadne upon their reunion. In her mind the time they had been separated had stretched into an eternity.

Only one thing kept her awake. One decision that could ruin whatever happiness they had regained.

Despite the fact that she would never take back what she had done, a hint of guilt clawed at the back of her mind. Was Shepard ready to be a mother? The idea of the drug addled killer she had once known raising a child would have been absurd, had they not made love earlier that night. During their meld all Aria could think about was the two of them chasing a beautiful little blue girl around their old apartment. A girl who would giggle and squeal for her mothers to stop.

She was interrupted from her fantasy however, when her lover started to thrash about violently in her sleep. Aria hugged Shepard's small frame close to her chest and did her best to soothe the woman by whispering in her ear.

'Honey, it's just a dream.'

'No…I need both of them…'

'You're having a nightmare, wake up!'

Her mumbling only grew louder, until it developed into screaming. Aria made a quick decision to initiate a meld, before sending her images of them raising their daughter together.

Shepard awoke from her dream to a most perplexing sight. There was the most breathtaking asari girl running around in a cute little N7 sweater, which was obviously too big for her.

Ariadne gasped out loud and broke the meld, when realization stuck.

'Aria, what have you done?!'

_Liara had tracked the Normandy to Omega, but had yet to figure out a plan of action. Was Shepard going to even want her back? What would the Illusive Man do, when he found out, that she had contacted the former Spectre? Self-doubt plagued her thoughts, but the decisiveness she had taught herself over the past two years told her to ignore any uncertainties and claim her love once again. _

_As she walked the empty streets she wondered if it had been the right decision to give her body over to Cerberus. She had simply felt so raw and empty after the attack, she had acted on instinct. Now in hindsight, maybe giving her corpse to a terrorist organization hadn't been the most well thought-out course of action. _

_Liara didn't even know where to look for her commander, but after an unreasonable amount of time aimlessly walking around, she was greeted by a familiar sight. The perfect hair was a dead giveaway, as was the immaculate make-up. The cigarette dangling from those perfect lips was the only part of her, that looked out of place. _

_The skin tight suit was the same as it had been on that fateful day. _

'WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING ARIA?!'

'I… I needed-'

'I can't be a parent. I can't do this.'

Shepard was angrily pacing back and forth in her cabin, whilst Aria sat cross-legged on the bed wrapped under the covers.

'Shepard, did you see her?'

'Aria, I can't. Look at me, I'm a mess.'

'Did you see her?'

Shepard wordlessly pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top.

'I need some air.'

Aria hugged her knees to her chest and waited for her lover to leave, before she let the tears fall.

_Inside she wished that she could pull off a skintight cat suit and not feel embarrassed to be seen in public wearing it. The knowledge, that Shepard would be more amused than aroused, sent a melancholy feeling through her entire being. _

'_Miranda Lawson, we meet again.' The formal greeting wasn't exactly fitting, considering their shared history. _

_The Cerberus operative turned around and recognized Shepard's former flame._

'_T'Soni_ . _A pleasure, as always.'_

'_Where is she?'_

_Miranda had rarely felt as uncomfortable as she did in that moment. _

_'On the ship i think... Look, Liara, maybe it's not such a good idea for you to see her now-'_

_The scientist pushed passed her and raced towards the docking bay._

Ariadne leaned against the railing with her elbows and tried to forget everything but the soft breeze blowing against her face. With a sideways glance she eyed the little bottle she had liberated from the kitchen after fleeing from her certifiably crazy lover. Two years sober was quite the achievement for her, even if she had been dead most of the time. That thought alone brought a rare smile to her scarred face.

The rapid sound of footsteps that probably indicated the approach of one of her concerned teammates ripped her from her daydream.

'I'm going to drink all of it, just to spite whoever came to check up on me.' Shepard made sure to say it loud enough for the person behind her to hear.

'Ariadne.'

**Yes, my characters cry a lot.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 12

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

_Author's note: Dear audience, hopefully you don't hate me too much for the delay, but my life is once again fucked beyond comprehension, so much so, that I didn't have the motivation to write anything. But here's the next chapter regardless._

'Ariadne.'

That voice would haunt Shepard no matter where she went or how hard she tried to hide from it. Shivers went down her spine every single time Liara opened her mouth, always reminding her of those beautiful months they had spent together.

Without even thinking Shepard spun around and threw her arms around the unsuspecting asari, hugging her as tightly as she possibly could, with no intention of ever letting go.

Liara didn't even hesitate when she wordlessly initiated the meld with the surprisingly strong girl clinging to her. Both of them felt wave upon wave of love and tenderness flow through the mental link between them. Only after the first few moments had passed did they start looking through each other's memories.

To her own surprise, Ariadne did not even attempt to hide what had transpired with Aria earlier that evening. She felt it would have been a betrayal to hide anything from Liara and even though she wasn't quite as angry with the scientist as she had been, she wanted her to know, that had she been there for her when she had woken up from her _absence_ nothing would have happened with the queen of Omega.

When realization struck, Liara immediately severed the meld. Unsure about the feelings raging inside her, she felt it best to study the dark haired girl, before saying something she might later regret.

Ariadne was obviously doing her best to avoid matching Liara's gaze, but was failing miserably.

The younger of the two had to swallow a few times, before she could muster the courage to finally break the silence.

'Why weren't you there for me?'

'Why didn't you wait for me?'

'I did. And when you didn't come back to where you belong, I thought you didn't want me anymore.'

'Oh is that so? And where exactly do I belong, Shepard?'

'Don't call me that. Don't pretend you don't belong to me.'

'Well apparently you have someone else to fulfill my role now. How is she in the sack by the way? Must be pretty fucking good, if the two of you are already having kids.'

By now both of them had stepped away and tears were threatening to fall. Shepard knew only one thing, though. She couldn't live without Liara any longer. Separation from the blue beauty was not an option; she was like a drug to her.

Ariadne was close to hyperventilating at even the notion of her precious Liara not being there for her. She would beg on all fours if she had to.

'I've been an idiot, come back with me. I need you Liara, without you I'd bloody die.'

Despite the overwhelming sense of betrayal and anger, the look in Ariadne's eyes was too much for the asari girl. Quickly she closed the distance between them again and cried silent tears into the dark hair of her one true love.

Aria sat alone in her quarters, waiting patiently for Shepard to come back. She had her whole approach planned out. First she would seduce her, and then she would start a meld and show her more of their perfect daughter already growing inside of her. Once she had really seen what beauty the two of them had created, everything would go back to the way it was before. Shepard would forgive her and eventually they would start a new life together, away from all the atrocities of war.

The now former queen of Omega was rudely ripped from her fantasies by the chime of the door. Her lover slowly shuffled into the room with downcast eyes.

Without raising her gaze, she started talking in a slow and steady manner.

'Listen, I'm still pissed off, that you didn't think to ask me if I even wanted a kid. Furthermore you tried to hide her from me, and would have done so even longer, had I not had a nightmare. But with all that said, I hope you can forgive me for running out on you?'

Aria didn't even bother responding, but flung herself onto her lover and pressed open mouthed kisses all along the smaller girls jaw. A disapproving sound from the doorway made her look up.

'What the fuck is she doing here Ari? Get that skank out of our room!'

'It was mine and Ariadne's room first, _bitch_.'

Before the situation could escalate any further, Ariadne had to somehow resolve the tension, before things got out of control.

'How about the both of you shut up for five seconds?'

Both of the blue women turned and gave her withering glares, but they both agreed to hold their tongues.

'Liara is going to stay on this ship, is that clear? I need her in my life, okay? And you are not to harass or be cruel to her in any way, are we understood?'

Tears started running down the matriarchs face.

'If she stays, then I'm leaving.'

'You will do no such thing, not with my child in your belly.'

Aria slumped onto the bed and continued weeping.

'Is that it? You don't love me anymore? You'd rather have some younger girl in your bed?'

Shepard became angry at that remark and threw Aria back onto the mattress, before pouncing on top of her and kissing her on the lips as fiercely as humanly possible. Liara simply stood awkwardly by the side of the bed for a few seconds, before deciding that it might be better if she just left.

'I'll give you two some privacy…'

Shepard looked up with a predatory scowl and growled from the very bottom of her throat.

'Get back here Li.'

Ariadne patted the empty space next to her and pulled Liara on to the bed when she was in reach.

'Tonight both of you will stay with me.'

Neither of the asari dared make a sound of protest, so they simply accepted their fates and rolled as far away from their commander as possible, before falling asleep.

And despite the fact that the three of them weren't on very good terms, Shepard could not think of a happier time in her life.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Rated M for Language, Sexual Content, Adult Themes**

**Warning ! Quite dark, proceed with caution. **

**Contains FemShep/Liara**

**This story is about an extremely damaged woman, struggling with love, loss and eventually redemption. She is not exactly likeable, nor should she be. **

If the previous evening's events had been perfect, then there were no words to describe the way she felt upon waking up. The two most important people in her entire life lay on either side of her, both of them deep in slumber. While Liara looked almost angelic in her sleep, Aria never managed to keep her mouth closed during the night and yet she knew in her heart that her love for them only grew at the sight.

Shepard tried to maneuver as elegantly as possible from the bed, so as not to wake the two asari. Despite her new-found happiness, she desperately needed a jog to clear her head and figure out exactly how she was supposed to get the mother of her child to agree to an arrangement with another woman. She knew from previous melds with both of them, that the one thing they had in common was ironically their belief in monogamy. But if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that she was never going to let either woman out of her life ever again.

'So much has changed.' Ariadne mused to herself as she exited the Normandy, dressed in grey sweatpants and a black tank-top. Last night she had dreamt of the time she had caught Aria in bed with another woman and how violently she had reacted then. And even though their roles were reversed, the situation she had found herself in was in fact quite similar to that one, if she was honest with herself. Except she couldn't lose Aria now, it was an impossibility, one she wouldn't allow. All she needed to do now was show both women how much she cared for them and let fate decide the rest.

Liara blinked the last of the sleep from her eyes, only to find the last person she wanted to in bed next to her.

Aria noticed that the girl was finally awake and decided to start resolving the tension between them, for her lover's sake.

With a loud sigh she glanced at the young freckled face only once before starting.

'Look, Liara, I know how much you mean to her and honestly I'm threatened by that. But if you plan on starting a serious relationship with her, know this: I am not going anywhere. And if you can't deal with that, then you need to leave.'

'I didn't plan on any of this…'

'But it's what you wanted isn't it?'

'Yes. She means everything to me.'

'So, do you think you can handle me being here?'

'I would do anything for her.'

'Prove it. When she comes back, I want you to stay and watch. Only this one time. And if you can't handle it, you'll leave and we'll never see you again.'

Liara knew that Aria was hoping that she would immediately decline. The matriarch thought of her only as a young spineless girl. But she was in for a big surprise.

'If you insist. Now excuse me, while I shower.'

It hadn't taken incredibly long to find a tattoo parlor on Omega. Nor had it been hard to find some to do the work, thanks in large part to the size of Cerberus' purse. After a four hour session and a large amount of medi-gel she only prayed that it would suffice. Much more difficult was finding a jewelry store for Liara's gift. In the end though and many credits lighter she was ready to return to the Normandy.

Upon entering her quarters she was greeted by a very welcome sight, both of her girls were sitting across from each other playing a game of chess. They were so immersed in the game they didn't even notice her arrival. In order to achieve the desired effect she cleared her throat loudly and called out for Aria.

'Honey, I can't seem to get this shirt off, would you mind giving me some help?'

The queen of Omega shot Liara a triumphant glare before jumping up excitedly. 'Of course, anything for my baby.'

Aria positioned herself right behind her lover and sensually moved her pelvis up and down against Shepard's ass, whilst slowly pulling up the offensive garment, to reveal more and more skin. As soon as the shirt was removed, Aria was confronted by the most beautiful sight. All across Shepard's back was a huge Omega symbol.

'It's for you Aria. I love you.'

If that was painful for Liara to hear, then what happened next might have killed her. Aria tore off all of her clothing with her biotics and roughly pulled down Shepard's pants to reveal a pair of frilly black satin panties. Neither of them wasted any time finding a more suitable place and they immediately started grinding their hips violently against each other right there on the floor. Before either of them could comprehend what was happening the meld was upon them and they both came, moaning and writhing in a tangled mess of limbs.

Ariadne slowly opened her eyes and noticed that Aria had passed out from the exertion. A soft sniffling drew her gaze to the bed where Liara was hugging her knees to her chest and desperately trying not to let the tears come.

Wordlessly Ariadne extracted herself from her lover and went over to her pants where she retrieved a black box.

With one leap she jumped up onto the bed and sat herself across from Liara.

Hesitantly she presented the gift to the shy girl whose tears had been replaced by a confused expression.

'What's in the box, Shepard?'

'A promise. A promise that my heart will always belong to you.'

Inside was a heart shaped silver pendant that bore both of their respective initials. Without waiting for Liara to respond, Shepard put the necklace around the blue neck and fastened it. The two of them noticed their closeness and Liara all but leaned forward and captured her commander's lips in a burning kiss. They spent the rest of the night making love to each other.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey, no update, just a small letter of explanation for my absence. I honestly cannot believe how man nice reviews I received and it really meant the world to me, when people said nice things about my stories. On the other hand, it depressed me to no end, every time some anonymous person would drop a review, telling me to go kill myself and that mine were the worst stories they had ever even seen. So I quit posting chapters. Yesterday I uploaded a new story and I could even tell by just reading it again, that it wasn't up to par. But that doesn't make it okay for people to be so incredibly cruel. So I'm especially sorry to everyone who appreciated my stab at writing, but I don't think I have the backbone to deal with such hatefulness, when all I wanted to do was create something fun. Hugs- amy


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